Ziina - UAE FinTech


Ziina is a private fintech company based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, founded in 2020. It offers digital payments services for consumers and businesses, including peer-to-peer transfers, payment links, QR and NFC acceptance, and a payment gateway for SMEs. The company holds a Stored Value Facility license issued by the Central Bank of the UAE.

History

January 2020: Founded by Faisal Toukan, Sarah Toukan, Talal Toukan, and Andrew GoldMay 2020: App launched, secured $850K pre-seed round led by Class 5 GlobalJune 2021: Raised $7.5M seed round led by Avenir Growth CapitalMarch 2022: App Receives Red Dot Design Award, staying true to Ziina's Arabic name, which translates to "a thing of beauty"August 2022: Introduces "ZiiBoard", a keyboard for generating payment links on social media.December 2022: Appointed official payment partner for ComicCon Middle East.May 2023: Introduced its payment gateway, enabling SMEs to accept online card payments via website integrations.October 2023: Gateway capability expanded to accept up to 10 different currencies and Arabic version of the app added. August 2024: First venture-backed company in the UAE to become licensed by The Central Bank of the UAE September 2024: Raised US $22 million in Series A funding led by Altos Ventures.April 2025: Launched Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android, allowing merchants to accept contactless payments via smartphone.July 2025: Entered partnership with Dubai CommerCity free zone to offer SMEs services such as instant transfers, payment links, NFC Tap to Pay, multi-currency virtual IBANs, and a co‑branded bank card.October 2025: Partnered with Dubai's Meydan Freezone to become the payment provider of choice for member businesses.

Products

Ziina is known for the following products and services available to businesses and consumers in the UAE:Peer‑to‑peer wallet: Enables instant money transfers using mobile numbers, with no IBAN or SWIFT code necessary.Payment links: Shareable links for use on social media and messaging platforms.Payment gateway: Integrated checkout solutions for SMEs accepting cards online, supporting multiple currencies. In‑person acceptance: Tap to Pay on iPhone, Tap to Pay on Android, as well QR code payments. Multi‑currency settlement: Up to ten currencies supported on gateway transactions. Ziina Business Card : A payment card integrated with the wallet for expense tracking & supplier payouts.
  • Other products include Invoicing features, multi-user access, custom API integrations, oath sign-in, and embedded checkout